Cody Brewer shoots on Tony Rmaos at Flo's Who's Number One event, an event that ditched the singlet (Photo/Juan Garcia)USA Wrestling this week stoked the singlet-free discussion with Matt Krumrie's article Is it time for wrestling to ditch the singlet?"
In addition to the issue of spandex, the article prompted social media to debate about the wide array of issues wrestling needs to fix before approaching the matter of sartorial selection, including the perception of corruption and the need for alternative rules sets.
While both matters are important, the real opportunity behind changing the singlet may not even lie in potential increased to retention and recruitment, but in a very conservative constituency making progressive changes for the sake of modernity. The act of change will require buy-in from several leading organizations, which means that a successful alteration of outfits could be the type of collaboration wrestling has been missing.
I've been writing about the need to kill the singlet for more than three years and what I've learned is that there are loyalists unwilling to change, but that they are only a small faction. As time has passed I've read more and more public support for a change and Krumrie's article is the latest installment in the shifting attitude of our public and the sport's leadership.
Political courage aside, Krumrie's article was fascinating for another reason -- his reporting that the NWCA has already done a comprehensive survey and found their constituents really do want change at the youth level.
Last year, 8,500 coaches responded to a National Wrestling Coaches Association survey. In that survey, coaches were "overwhelmingly in support" of moving to an alternative uniform option, citing the importance of retaining wrestlers and growing wrestling, said Mike Moyer, Executive Director of the National Wrestling Coaches Association.
"What we found was that the singlet was definitely a barrier to entry into the sport," Moyer explains. "This was especially an issue with first-year wrestlers, and at the middle school level."
Moyer is all for an alternative option, and feels it would help move the sport forward. "We've heard enough perspective from coaches across the country that they absolutely believe an alternative option would enhance recruitment and retention."
What could be better for the sport, but to make it more available to the next generation?
To your questions …
Q: What do you make of Jordan Burroughs' recent blog post and the discussion of his retirement?
-- C.Y.
Foley: Burroughs initial blog post "Dear Wrestling" ended with the cliffhanger: "Maybe I'll see ya around. Maybe." That line is fairly clear in stating that Burroughs is/was contemplating a retirement from competitive wrestling. However, the next day Burroughs tweeted a message saying he was definitely not retiring.
I'm not retiring.
��" Jordan Burroughs (@alliseeisgold) October 6, 2016
While Burroughs' non-retirement now seems indefinitely definite there is still plenty left to discuss. The letter -- written to the sport of wrestling as though it was the other half of a human relationship -- was very confusing. Parts of it read like an attempt to rationalize his pre-Olympic position within the sport, some of it was visualizations of his own struggle and there were parts that read like a conversation about values.
If you were looking for answers as to "What happened to Burroughs in Rio?" then this letter was underwhelming. At times Burroughs' message seemed cheeky ("It's not you, it's me") and other times distant (the lack of parades for non-medalists). The desire to pour his heart out was obvious, but what did we learn by our rare peak inside Burroughs' thought process and mentality towards wrestling?
From my perspective it seems Burroughs carried a lot of pressure when it came to the expectations of others, most notably his sponsors and the idea he needed to live up to the brand he'd created. To be clear, there has never been a wrestler with a more financially successful brand and no other combat sport Olympic athlete (ever?) who has created that brand solely on the amateur stage.
No athlete has ever been sponsored by names like Hershey's, Chobani, and Ralph Lauren, and had to put himself or herself into the precarious position to have their physical, psychological and emotional fortitude tested by another man in hand-to-hand combat on a once-a-quadrennial occasion.
Burroughs writes, "When the IOC wanted you gone, I defended you. When you needed someone to help you appeal to the masses, I was Mr. Right. This was always a mutually-beneficial relationship, until now. Carrying us this far has wore me down. 'Heavy is the head that wears the crown,' they say. And you snatched my crown without my permission. You took years to turn me into a superhero, and then just at the peak of my powers you took six minutes to make me human again."
I disagree that wrestling (as the other side of a relationship) made him into a superhero, I think that was largely his own doing. There have been other wrestlers who have faced the same type of expectations as Burroughs: Karelin, Icho, Yoshida and even Kyle Dake. To paraphrase Dake in his run-up to a fourth NCAA title, "Pressure isn't a real thing that can hurt you, it's imagined." For Burroughs and others that pressure became a real thing, and in the case of Jordan it was complicated by the additional financial considerations (remember that JB lost out on $500k for not winning the Olympics).
Burroughs came to be as a wrestler because he started off as the underdog -- free of expectation and with growing talents he exploded onto the scene in 2011 with a world title. He continued to work hard, found a winning strategy and capitalized for the next five years. The fall wasn't because of a (known) physical ailment, or the speed of the wrestling world catching up to his talents, it was an internal battle that manifested itself in the physical.
Burroughs shouldn't retire, but he should readopt the mentality of the underdog if only so he re-examines and approaches the sport as a student rather than a mentor, a learner rather than a load-bearing celebrity. He has the physical abilities to win a world title today just as he did in 2011, but that'll require a shrug of these sporting responsibilities and a loss of celebrity.
Maybe that is that the big bargain Jordan isn't sure he can make.
Q: The three remaining candidates to host the 2024 Olympics are Budapest, Los Angeles and Paris. What city do you think will win the bid? What city would like to see win the bid?
-- Mike C.
Foley: Like many Americans I'd love to see Los Angeles earn the bid, but I honestly wouldn't be crushed if the Games ended up in Paris. Both are beautiful cities with governments willing to foot the massive bill for a bidding and hosting system coming under intense scrutiny. My gut says LA has the lead, but you can never tell.
Rome (where I am today for a wedding) recently began the process of ending their bid, citing the financial strain it might cost the city. Seeing it up close for the first time I can see no reason the city should want the headache of the Olympic Games. Vanity of rulers might be the only reason some cities bid, and I applaud Rome for having the foresight to predict their people may not enjoy hosting such a movable feast.
Q: Who do you see winning the Hodge in each of the next two seasons? Below are potential contenders.
2016-2017:
Zain Retherford (two-time NCAA champion,
Jason Nolf (one-time NCAA champion)
Isaiah Martinez (three-time NCAA champion)
Gabe Dean (three-time NCAA champion),
J'den Cox (three-time NCAA champion, Olympic bronze)
Kyle Snyder (two-time NCAA champion, world and Olympic champion)
2017-2018:
Zain Retherford (three-time NCAA champion,
Jason Nolf (two-time NCAA champion)
Isaiah Martinez (four-time NCAA champion)
Kyle Snyder (three-time NCAA champion, world and Olympic champion)
-- Tim H.
Foley: Kyle Snyder in 2017 and Isaiah Martinez in 2018! What a race!
Q: What do you make of all the media scrutiny/praise regarding Nate Parker?
-- Jacob R.
Foley: I think this is a very difficult discussion to have. The courts have shown that he wasn't guilty and I think he deserves the opportunity to move forward with his life. The tragedies that the woman in the case endured in her all-too-short life are heartbreaking and I can't imagine the pain of her family.
I'm proud of Parker for making the film and look forward to watching it in theaters as soon as I get back to the States.
Q: Why on earth would Ryan Milhof leave Oklahoma with Lou Rosselli taking over as head coach? Do you suspect his decision to leave Norman was because he felt Mark Cody was wronged? I realize he's going to ASU with one of the best lightweight coaches in Zeke Jones, but he has to sit out this year and isn't eligible until second semester next year. If he stayed at Oklahoma he could wrestle this year and train under another top lightweight coach.
-- Mike C.
Foley: I don't know why Millhof left, but as you wrote you'd have to assume that he was displeased with Mark Cody's firing and wouldn't be happy continuing to compete in Oklahoma.
Arizona State is certainly an awesome option, even if he needs to sit out a season. Remember that these are just kids and sometimes their emotions can be front-and-center in their decision-making.
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